LAS VEGAS  Sony announced the VAIO WA1 Wireless Digital Music Streamer at their CES 2007 press conference on Sunday.

Sony is expected to position the VAIO WA1 as a higher-end option, priced at about $350. The fact that the company is referring to it as a "boombox" implies that Sony sees it as a competitor to Apple's HiFi, another "boombox" that came out last year and allows users to wirelessly stream with big sound via AirTunes.

The WA1 isn't all that big, but Sony claims its two eight-watt stereo speakers will fill your living room with "big stereo sound". The kit comes equipped with a six-band graphic equalizer, a touch-screen sensor, and a remote control, as well as a USB wireless network interface. It'll play the usual suspects: ATRAC, MP3, WMA, unprotected AAC, and it's designed to connect to Live365.com's network of Internet radio stations. Connectivity will support your portable music players, analog and digital S/PDIF outs for connecting with stereo systems, a headphone jack, and a built-in alarm clock.

Cosmetically, it looks pretty sleek, if not necessarily beautiful, and comes in white (or black) if you buy online from Sony.

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